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Oral S-1 Can Substitute for 5-FU for Treatment of Metastatic Gastric Cancer (10/16/2009)
Researchers from Japan involved in a multicenter clinical trial have reported that oral S-1 is non-inferior to 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) or Camptosar® (irinotecan) and Platinol® (cisplatin) for treatment of metastatic gastric cancer. The details of this randomized study were published early on-line in Lancet Oncology on October 8, 2009.
Herceptin Improves Outcome of HER2-positive Stomach Cancer (10/1/2009)
Researchers involved in an international randomized Phase III clinical trial have reported that treatment with Herceptin® (trastuzumab) improves survival among patients with HER2-positive, advanced and inoperable stomach cancer. These results were presented at the Joint ECCO 15 – 34th ESMO Multidisciplinary Congress in Berlin, September 20-24, 2009.
Aspirin Usage Decreases Risk of Developing Distal Gastric Adenocarcinoma (8/26/2009)
Researchers affiliated with the Multiethnic Cohort (Hawaii and Los Angeles, California) have reported that the regular use of aspirin is associated with a 27% reduction in the risk of developing distal gastric adenocarcinoma. The details of this study were published in the August 2009 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Gastric Cancer in Young Individuals Is Aggressive and Lethal (6/24/2009)
Researchers from the University of California at Irvine have reported that patients with gastric cancer who are 35 years of age or younger have more aggressive disease than older patients with gastric cancer. The details of this study appeared in the June 2009 issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Laparoscopy-assisted Surgery Produces Good Results for Early Gastric Cancer (6/24/2009)
Researchers from Korea have reported that laparoscopy-assisted surgery for early gastric cancer results in a 98.8% three-year overall survival in patients with early gastric cancer. The details of this study appeared in the June 2009 issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Herceptin® Improves Survival with HER2-positive Gastric Cancer (6/3/2009)
Researchers from Korea have reported that treatment with a combination of chemotherapy and the targeted agent Herceptin® (trastuzumab) results in better survival than chemotherapy alone among patients with advanced, HER2-positive gastric cancer. The results of this Phase III clinical trial were presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on June 1 in Orlando, Florida.
Alimta® and Eloxatin® Active in Advanced Gastric Cancer (5/28/2009)
Researchers from Italy have reported that Alimta® (pemetrexed) and Eloxatin® (oxaliplatin) is active and well tolerated for the initial treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer. The details of this study appeared in the June, 2009 issue of Annals of Oncology.
Laparoscopic Surgery Results in Fewer Complications for Patients with Stomach Cancer (5/11/2009)
Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have reported that laparoscopic surgery produces a similar rate of recurrence-free survival as traditional open surgery in patients with gastric cancer with fewer complications and shorter hospital stays. The details of this study appeared in the June 2009 issue of the Annals of Surgical Oncology.
Postsurgical Antibiotic Therapy Decreases Metachronous Recurrences of Gastric Cancer. (8/4/2008)
Researchers from Japan have reported that antibiotic treatment of patients with gastric cancer decreases the rate of metachronous recurrences. The details of this randomized trial were published in the August 2008 issue of Lancet Oncology.
Removal of More Lymph Nodes May Improve Survival in Gastric and Pancreatic Cancers (8/4/2008)
Researchers affiliated with the Cancer Programs, American College of Surgeons, recommend that at least 15 lymph nodes be removed and examined in patients with early gastric or pancreatic cancers. The results of this study were published in the July 2008 issue of the Archives of Surgery.
No Advantage to the Addition of Platinol® to Camptosar®/5-FU for Advanced Gastric Cancer (4/3/2008)
Researchers from Korea have reported that the addition of Platinol® (cisplatin) to Camptosar® (irinotecan), 5-FU, and leucovorin for the treatment of patients with gastric cancer offers no survival benefit. These findings were published in the April 2008 issue of the Annals of Oncology.
Chlorhexidine or Oral Cooling Decrease Chemotherapy-induced Mucositis (3/31/2008)
Researchers from Denmark have reported that chlorhexidine mouth washes or oral cooling decreases the incidence and severity of oral mucositis associated with 5 FU and leucovorin-based chemotherapy for gastrointestinal cancer. The details of this randomized study appeared in an early online publication in Cancer on February 15, 2008.
Combination of Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy Shows Promise for Gastric Cancer (3/28/2008)
Researchers from South Korea have reported that a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy may improve overall survival of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer undergoing curative surgery. The details of this randomized Phase III trial were published in the March, 2008 issue of the Annals of Oncology.
S-1 Plus Platinol® Effective for Advanced Gastric Cancer (2/22/2008)
Researchers from Japan have reported that the combination of S-1 plus Platinol® (cisplatin) is superior to S-1 alone for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication on February 18, 2008, in Lancet Oncology.
Adjuvant Therapy with New Oral Fluoropyrimidine Improves Survival for Resected Gastric Cancer (11/7/2007)
Researchers from Japan have reported that an oral fluoropyrimidine, S-1, improves survival by 10% in patients with resected stage II-III gastric cancer. The details of this study were published in the November 1, 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Celebrex® May Improve Cachexia in Patients with Cancer of the Head, Neck and Gastrointestinal Tract (8/14/2007)
Researchers from the University of North Carolina have reported that treatment of patients with cancer cachexia with Celebrex (celecoxib) resulted in weight gain, increased body mass index (BMI) and improved quality of life (QOL) measurements. The details of this study were published early on-line on July 5, 2007 in Head and Neck.
Adjuvant Gleevec® May Prevent Recurrences in Resected GIST (6/26/2007)
Researchers involved in a North American Intergroup Phase III trial (ACOSOG Z9001) have reported that the adjuvant administration of Gleevec (imatinib) may decrease the recurrence rate following surgical resection of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) that are 3 cm or larger. The details of this study were presented at the 2007 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in June.
Gemzar® plus a Platinum Compound is Standard of Care for Biliary Cancer (4/3/2007)
On the basis of a review of the literature researchers from Germany have concluded that Gemzar (gemcitabine) plus a platinum compound is the current standard of care for patients with advanced biliary tract carcinoma. The details of this study appeared in the March 26, 2007 issue of the British Journal of Cancer.
Interruption of Treatment with Gleevec® Not Recommended for GIST (3/27/2007)
Researchers from France have reported that interruption in treatment with Gleevec® (imatinib mesylate) is not recommended for patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) whose disease has appeared to stabilize. The details of this study appeared in the March 20, 2007 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology,.
Addition of Taxotere® to Platinol®/5-FU as Initial Therapy in Advanced Gastric Cancer Improves Survival (11/15/2006)
Researchers involved in a randomized, multinational clinical trial (V325) have concluded that the addition of Taxotere® (docetaxel) to Platinol® (cisplatin) and 5-FU (5-fluorouracil) improves survival compared to Platinol/5-FU alone as initial therapy for advanced gastric cancer.
Sutent® Treatment of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Associated With Hypothyroidism (11/14/2006)
Researchers from the Dana Farber Cancer Center have reported that hypothyroidism is a frequent complication of treating gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) with Sutent (sunitinib malate, SU11248).
Sutent® Effective for Gleevec®-Resistant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (10/16/2006)
An international randomized trail has determined that Sutent (sunitinib malate, SU11248) improves disease control and survival in patients with Gleevec® (imatinib mesylate) resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST).
Eloxatin®, 5-FU and Camptosar® Effective for Metastatic Gastric Cancer (9/18/2006)
Researchers from Korea have reported that the combination of Eloxatin (oxaliplatin), 5FU/leucovorin and Camptosar (irinotecan) is effective palliative therapy for metastatic gastric cancer.
Pre- and Post-Operative Chemotherapy Improves Overall Survival in Gastroesophageal Cancer (7/7/2006)
Researchers from the United Kingdom affiliated with the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Study Group have published the results of the MAGIC (Medical Research Council Adjuvant Gastric Infusional Chemotherapy) trial showing that pre- and post-operative chemotherapy improves disease-free and overall survival in patients with gastroesophageal cancer.
Xeloda® and Eloxatin® May Replace 5-FU and Platinol® for Treatment of Esophagogastric Cancer (7/3/2006)
Researchers affiliated with the REAL 2 Trial have concluded that Xeloda (capecitabine) can replace 5-FU (5-fluorouracil) and Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) can replace Platinol® (cisplatin) for the treatment of cancers of the esophagus, esophageal junction or stomach. The details of this randomized phase III study were presented at the June 2006 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Atlanta.
Eloxatin®-Based Chemotherapy Improves Time to Treatment Failure in Gastric Cancer (6/23/2006)
Results from a randomized, multicenter, phase III clinical trial indicate that Eloxatin (oxaliplatin)-based chemotherapy improves responses and time to treatment failure compared to Platinol® (cisplatin)-based chemotherapy in the treatment of stages III-IV gastric cancer. These results were reported as a late-breaking abstract at the 42nd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Meat Intake Linked with Stomach Cancer (4/18/2006)
A large European study has determined that a high intake of red or processed meats is associated with an increased risk of developing noncardia gastric cancer.
Sutent® Approved by FDA for Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma and Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (4/4/2006)
In January 2006 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Sutent (SU 11248, sunitinib malate) for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) that had progressed after Gleevec® (imatinib) and for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
Extensive Node Dissection by Experienced Surgeons Improves Survival from Gastric Cancer (3/28/2006)
Researchers from Hong Kong have reported that extensive lymph node removal resulted in improved survival of patients with gastric cancer compared to minimal resection (D1, level 1 only). The details of this randomized trial appeared in an early online publication in Lancet Oncology on March 15, 2006.
Addition of Taxotere® to Standard Chemotherapy Improves Survival in Advanced Gastric Cancer (11/4/2005)
The addition of Taxotere® (docetaxel) to the standard combination of 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin improves overall survival, time to progression and quality of life compared to 5-fluorouracil/cisplatin in advanced gastric cancer.
Adjuvant Chemotherapy Does Not Affect Survival After Surgery for Gastric Cancer (9/7/2005)
Researchers from France have reported seven-year results of a randomized trial of adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer and concluded there was no survival advantage of 5-FU and Platinol® (cisplatin) over no post-surgical treatment.
Zanosar® Superior to Doxorubicin for Advanced Carcinoid Tumors (8/2/2005)
Researchers affiliated with the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group have reported that a Zanosar (streptozocin) regimen improved survival of patients with advanced carcinoid tumors compared to a doxorubicin containing regimen.
Long-Term Low-Dose Aspirin Does Not Prevent Cancer (7/6/2005)
Researchers affiliated with the Women’s Health Study have reported that long-term low-dose aspirin use does not lower the risk of breast, colorectal, or other cancers.
Wine Drinking Lowers Risk of Gastric Cancer (6/6/2005)
Researchers from Europe have reported that daily intake of wine may prevent development of gastric cancer.
Site of Mutation Within KIT Associated with Response and Time to Progression with Gleevec® in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (5/17/2005)
Mutations within specific exons of the tyrosine kinase KIT are strongly associated with response rates and time to progression in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) treated with Gleevec® (imatinib mesylate).
Pre- and Post-Operative Chemotherapy Improves Survival in Gastroesophageal Cancer (5/17/2005)
Updated results from the Medical Research Council Adjuvant Gastric Infusional Chemotherapy (MAGIC) trial indicate that pre- and post-operative chemotherapy improves disease-free and overall survival in patients with gastroesophageal cancer. These results were presented at the 2005 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Preoperative Proleukin® May Improve Outcomes in Gastric Cancer (2/2/2005)
According to results recently published in the Journal of Surgical Oncology, treatment with Proleukin® (interleukin-2, IL-2) prior to surgery may improve outcomes in patients with gastric cancer.
Antioxidant Vitamins May not Prevent GI Cancers (10/8/2004)
A Cochrane report has concluded that researchers were unable to find evidence that supplementation with antioxidants prevents gastrointestinal cancers and in fact actually appears to increase overall mortality. The details of this review and meta-analysis appeared in the October 2, 2004 issue of the Lancet.
Progression-Free Survival Improved in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors with Increased Dose of Gleevec® (9/27/2004)
Researchers from the EORTC have reported that 800 mg of Gleveec® improves progression-free survival but not response rate in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) when compared to a standard dose of 400 mg. The details of the report appeared in the September 25, 2004 issue of the Lancet.
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Highly Effective for Unresectable Gastric Cancer (4/16/2004)
Researchers from Italy have reported that neoadjuvant chemotherapy results in a high response rate offering almost half the patients with advanced gastric cancer the possibility of undergoing potentially curative surgery. This report was published in the April 17, 2004 issue of the
British Journal of Cancer.
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Eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) May Not Affect Precancerous Gastric Lesions (1/22/2004)
Researchers from China have reported that antibiotic eradication of H. pylori prevents gastric cancer in persons without pre-malignant gastric lesions but has no apparent impact on those with established pre-malignant lesions. The details of this report were published in the January 14, 2004 issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Society.
Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug Use Decreases Risk of Gastric Cancer (12/10/2003)
Researchers from China have reported that the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) decreases the incidence of gastric cancer. The report of this literature review and meta-analysis was published in the December 3 2003 issue of the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Patterns of Failure in Patients with Gastric Adenocarcinoma (11/3/2003)
In the only study that has analyzed patterns of failure in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent D2 lymph node dissection after chemoradiotherapy, researchers from South Korea reported that T-stage and N-stage were correlated with locoregional recurrence. These results were presented at the 45th annual meeting of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology held in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 19-23, 2003.
Alimta® is an Active Agent for Advanced Gastric Cancer (10/7/2003)
Researchers from Italy reported a 21% response rate in patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with Alimta®. The results of this trial were published in the October 2003 issue of the
Annals of Oncology.
Combination of Taxotere®, Platinol®, and 5-FU More Effective in Metastatic Gastric Cancer than Platinol®/5FU (10/6/2003)
Interim results from a phase III trial presented at the 12th European Conference on Clinical Oncology (ECCO 12) held in Copenhagen Denmark September 21-25, 2003 showed that treatment of metastatic gastric cancer (MGC) with the combination regimen Taxotere®, Platinol®, and 5-FU resulted in longer time to treatment progression and higher response rate than treatment with Platinol® and 5-FU.
High-Dose Chemotherapy with Stem Cell Support an Option for Patients with Metastatic Gastric Cancer (9/18/2003)
German researchers reported in the October 2003 issue of
Bone Marrow Transplantation that an intensive treatment approach, including high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell support, may improve the outcome of patients with metastatic gastric cancer.
Researchers Identify Causes for Majority of Esophageal and Gastric Cancers (9/17/2003)
Researchers from several institutions have concluded that environmental factors, which are potentially preventable, account for the majority of cases of esophageal and gastric cancers. The results of these analyses were reported in the September 17, 2003 issue of the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Low Levels of Vitamin E Associated with an Increase in Esophageal and Gastric Cancer (9/17/2003)
Chinese researchers have reported that low levels of alfa tocopherol (vitamin E) were associated with an increased incidence of esophageal and gastric cancers. The results of this analysis appeared in the September 2003 issue of the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Paraplatin®, Etoposide, Doxorubicin Effective for Advanced Gastric Cancer (2/5/2003)
Chemotherapy administered with or without radiation therapy is the main treatment for patients with advanced gastric cancer that cannot be completely removed with surgery. Single chemotherapy agents such as Platinol®, 5-FU, Mutamycin®, doxorubicin and Ellence® have been used for the treatment of stage IV gastric cancer for several years. However, these drugs result in clinical responses in less than half of the patients with stage IV gastric cancer and virtually no complete responses are seen following single-agent chemotherapy. Survival of patients treated with 5-FU-based chemotherapy combinations is less than one year from diagnosis. Recent clinical trials indicate that newer chemotherapy agents such as Camptosar®,
Gemzar®,
Taxotere® and paclitaxel may be the most active single agents for the treatment of gastric cancer. Current clinical trials are evaluating various combinations of these newer drugs, often in combination with Platinol® and 5-FU.
Taxotere® Combination Chemotherapy Active in Gastric Cancer (11/6/2002)
Chemotherapy administered with or without radiation therapy is the main treatment for patients with unresectable or metastatic gastric cancer. Most of the commonly used chemotherapy agents have been evaluated singly or in combination for the treatment of advanced or metastatic gastric cancer. Single chemotherapy agents such as Platinol® (cisplatin), 5-FU, Mutamycin® (mitomycin), doxorubicin (Adriamycin®) and Ellence® (epirubicin) have demonstrated activity as single agents and in combination. The same can be said for Camptosar® (irinotecan), Gemzar® (gemcitabine), Taxotere® (docetaxel) and paclitaxel (Taxol®) which may be more active than older agents. However, the best combination remains to be determined and overall response rates remain 50% or lower with rare complete remissions. The taxanes, especially Taxotere®, have received the most study in recent years. The combination of Taxotere® and Platinol® in patients with locally advanced and metastatic gastric cancer has resulted in response rates up to 56%, with average survival durations of 9 to 10 months. Higher doses of Taxotere® resulted in improved treatment outcomes. Taxotere® has also been given as a single agent following treatment with Platinol®, Ellence®, 5-FU and leucovorin (PELF) with an increase in overall response from 40% to 58%.
Cigarette Smoking Definitely Linked to Incidence of Gastric Cancer in Both Men and Women (10/21/2002)
The role of cigarette smoking in causing gastric cancer in men is convincing but the relationship in women has been less studied. In the October issues of the
International Journal of Cancer, two recent studies solidify the linkage between smoking and gastric cancer in men and women.
Large Clinical Trial Confirms Activity of Gleevec® For Treatment of Patients With Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (8/16/2002)
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are relatively rare cancers that originate in mesenchymal tissue. This tumor is associated with the expression of the KIT proto-oncogene and the production of tyrosine kinase, which leads to uncontrolled growth and suppression of apoptosis. Until the development of Gleevec®, there was no effective systemic treatment for this tumor and the prognosis for patients with recurrent local disease or metastatic disease was poor. Early clinical trials in a limited number of patients showed remarkable responses of gastrointestinal stromal tumors to Gleevec®. Gleevec® is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia. The results of a multicenter trial were reported in the August 15, 2002 issue of
The New England Journal of Medicine.
Gastric Sentinel Node Biopsy Predicts Metastasis (6/11/2002)
Sentinel node biopsies have become an important test for the probability of metastatic disease without performing major lymph node dissections in patients with breast cancer and melanoma. A positive or negative sentinel node biopsy is highly predictive of lymph node involvement in the area. Patients with early stage gastric cancer frequently have occult metastasis. Complete removal of lymph nodes adds to the morbidity of gastric surgery and it would be desirable to perform such surgery only on patients who have cancer in the lymph nodes. Removal of positive lymph nodes may, in fact, improve the outcome of patients with early gastric cancer.
Mortality from Major Cancer Surgery and Morbidity From Prostate Surgery Lower in High Volume Hospitals Than in Low Volume Hospitals (4/16/2002)
There were two reports in the April 11 issue of the
New England Journal of Medicine which strongly support the concept that patients facing major cancer surgery should select a high volume hospital near where they live.
Four Weeks of Anticoagulation Better Than One Week Following Cancer Surgery (4/5/2002)
Researchers from Sweden, Italy, England and Israel have reported in the March 28 issue of the
New England Journal of Medicine that prolonged anticoagulation versus one week of anticoagulation is better for patients undergoing abdominal cancer surgery.
Plasma Free Metanephrines Best Test for Excluding or Confirming Pheochromocytoma (4/3/2002)
A multicenter international study has determined that plasma free metanephrines provide the best test for excluding or confirming the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. The data establishing this was published in the March 20 issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Association.
Gleevec® Approved for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (2/12/2002)
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved the biological agent Gleevec® for the treatment of metastatic and/or inoperable gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
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